If I was thinking I had bad luck being beaten with a sword in the skull, once I was sorely mistaken walking into the class the only free space as I had fallen asleep on a bench in one of the communal gardens, was along the very first person who had beaten me so hard I died. That ivy hair is a poor reminder of the forest which left me tethered with this demon in my head as Ashroth chuckled.

“I suppose she is my technically benefactor, giving me the opportunity to be freed from the altar by practically beating you to an inch of your life.” He sat on my shoulder like a pestering chirping as I tried to keep my eyes shut a little to help with the whole room spinning. I still felt sick but it was bearable yet the occasional vision blurring and doubling was becoming really annoying. Zoned out I was brought back to attention by a sharp jab to the side and glancing over was the girl who I was unfortunately partnered with as I looked to the board. A pair task to brew a basic healing salve, the only tested parts were collecting the correct herbs from the bundles on the front table and preparing them.

“Oi, get up and get the herbs. I’ll get the preparation equipment for our station.” She spoke rough but it seemed she did not really bother caring who I was.

Nodding timidly as the feeling of being burnt alight by my own magic flitted over my skin in place of chills I did as I was told without protest. Upsetting someone who could beat a person that severely and not recognise them again was clearly some kind of psychopath. Heading over to the herbal table I looked at the herbs and recited the ones we needed under my breath.

“Aqualia is the base, Termae for the main regent and the Balry for the secondary regent to trigger the healing properties in Termae.” Aqualia was a water based herb found in practically any source of water. It made water which was the base of the potion more malleable to magic and capable of retaining a higher quality of mana. Termae was an earthen fungus with a dark brown colour which could be used in medicinal cooking as well. It possessed healing properties which Balry an orange-yellow herb similar to a four leaf clover which held light based properties that stimulated Termae.”

The biggest issue with Balry was the fact it looked similar to an Ignary, a similar looking plant but was a red-orange hue. Which mixing with a Termae would trigger a reversal reaction so rather than enhancing reconstruction it turns it into a deconstruction like property causing what could be a healing salve to an acidic potion. But even I could tell the difference as I handed them off to Charlotte the girl with ivy hair. She had not even spared me a glance as I watched her prepare the ingredients. Barely glancing over them it was like her eyes were glazed over as it seemed golem-like in her actions. It was unsettling as she put in the herbs yet I glanced away as my head was still spinning with my doubled vision. Until I heard a subtle churning from the cauldron and looking over I could tell even Charlotte was confused as what should have turned to a brown cream like substance had begun bubbling into a black fluid. Hearing the click of a tongue we turned behind us to see Professor Salia Dultin, a pink hair alchemist that seemed to be in her 30s.

“Look like you two put in a Ignary. That’s not good, I’ll have to deduct some points for that. Though the quality is rather good so you have that. But…” She grabbed a couple herbs from a pouch and tossed them which quelled the bubbling and returned it to the ideal brown cream at the bottom of the cauldron. “You both will have to write a report about commonly confused herbs. I would like to be at least two and half pages as well as being submitted next week. Am I clear?”

I nodded as I looked apologetic towards Charlotte as it was clear this was my fault. “Understood.”

As the professor walked away I felt someone kick my shin, wincing I looked at Charlotte who seemed rather angry. “Fucking idiot, did you get brain damage from when I beat your ass in the forest?”

I shuddered as it was clear she definitely remembered me. “It was an accident I promise.” Backing away a little I felt uncomfortable being so close to her.

“Is this your payback for me getting your flags? Damn it, you just fucked up my questline. Pissing off the professor, how am I meant to get the medallion?” She gritted her teeth as she shoved past me and out of the hall. Leaving me on my own to clean up the station.

‘What did she mean by questline?’ The idea of a quest was something he heard of. Anyone who read stories about heroes as a child would have. Was she the kind of person who was pretending she was some kind of hero in a fairy tale?

My hands felt shaky as I cleared up the stations and saw the discerning look of disappointment from the professor. The only group to make such an idiotic mistake was just the two of us after all. Dejected, I headed out of the class feeling a little nauseous as I headed to my dorm to get some sleep before heading to the lab.

Getting into my dorm I felt guilty over my screw up as I got into my bed simply leaving my blazer on top of my trunk as I laid in bed. The damp feeling pestered me as I shut my head and took a slow breath. Finally my head had stopped spinning as I let myself sleep.

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Opening my eyes I could only groan as I found myself sitting on the dusty floors of the training grounds. My hands are smaller than what they should be and my father standing in front of me taller than what he would be now. It was a dream, I could tell myself that as I still felt no ability to control my body. Being made to stand up like a puppet I could feel my whole body shaking a familiar experience growing up. Being made to train till my body was run ragged, the taste of blood in my mouth from beating and the familiar soreness of bruising all over. It hurts as I am stuck like a marionette dancing along this dream as I recall the training I was put through.

Holding my spear with the small hands of a child no older than nine being expected to put up a fight against his father would be absurd but for an Alphonse it’s the expectation. The punishment for being sloppy was the slamming of a dull blade against the calves then the arms and finally a strike to the jaw. Looking up at my father and his uncaring gaze as I swallowed my tears and stood back up to hear the reprimand.

Waking up as the blade came crashing down against my ribs I could recall my father’s sneer. “An Alphonse should not be affected by a mere broken rib. Your siblings could heal such a thing in mere minutes, you insult your mother’s blood.”

That was always what it was about. Being the pride of a mother who I had not seen after she birthed me. Too busy working or focusing on my older siblings I was left to be forgotten. The Alphonse family was a matriarchy so in a way his father expecting him to be powerful made a twisted sense. His father was just an ordinary human while he had Alphonse blood in his veins. It led to expectations that only served to suffocate him from being told to walk off injuries that would make a normal person pass out from shock to being expected to possess a prodigious talent in combat left him a black sheep in all the worst ways. Academics only get you so far as the nobles that guard the frontier.

Looking around it was only seven in the evening so I decided to get to the library and begin working on my assignment for alchemy. My head was still throbbing and if I looked at my pillow I may have seen how it was now soaked red… but I did not. Walking to the library Ashroth was uncomfortably absent as it seemed he had disappeared for whatever reason into my mind. Getting into the library I sat at a quiet corner where someone else had their head buried in books studying. Quietly sitting down I began to look through the books I had picked from the shelves and find the relevant sections. Hours crawled by as I worked on my paper as that damp feeling built up again yet forcing myself to work through it I managed to get to a comfortable resting point. A look for another book or two might help so I got up yet as I did I felt my legs give way and my head spun all over again as I slipped and crashed onto the floor with a groan.

The person sitting on the opposite end looked up and I froze surprised to see Selwig come over grumbling. “What kind of idiot falls over when he stands?” He stuck a hand out which I grabbed gratefully standing up.

As I got pulled close his face shifted into disgust. “What the hell? Why do you smell like blood?” He covered his nose as he stood back. I felt a little hurt and equally confused, it had explained the odd look the receptionist gave me.

“I smell like blood?”

“Of course you do, wait a second…” He brushed his hand against my neck which made me back away startled at being touched as I could see the stain of red on his fingers. “Is your head bleeding?”

“It is?” He looked at me for a second almost incredulously.

“Of fucking course it is.” He pulled me closer towering above him and looked at my head. He firmly grasped and sighed. “How are you even conscious? You have a crack in your head, you dolt.”

I looked at him dumbly and it was clear he was not exactly happy with how clueless I was. “A crack isn’t that bad, right?” Afterall at home unless a bone was sticking out I would not even be given medical care.

“I don’t know what kind of freakish education the Alphonse family has but that was a loaded question. You’re following me to the infirmary. Am I clear?” His voice was firm but it seemed to be out of a place of concern as I was dragged along to the infirmary after he let me pack my satchel with my paper and pens. Being dragged by the rest to the infirmary was certainly new considering even if a bone was sticking out I was expected to find my own way to the residential doctor who would simply look at me with disgust. It may have been my head injury or blood loss as my head was still spinning as I could not actually remember when we got to the infirmary or when I was put on a bed.

“Fuck, where is the medical staff when you need them?” He cursed as he began to walk over to a cabinet and open it. Only to be interrupted by a shout.

“What do you think you’re doing Selly?” A woman’s voice from the doorway shouted causing the normally apathetic Selwig to freeze up.

“Priscilla, I can explain…” Came his protest as chains of light shot out and tied him up.

“Stop ransacking the infirmary when you hurt yourself. Wait for the nurse.” She huffed glaring at him.

Wiggling an arm free he looked at her sheepishly. “It’s not for me, it’s for him.” With that he pointed to me who clearly Priscilla had not even realised was laying in a bed.

“Oh my, are you injured?” She seemed so much calmer as she let Selwig drop to the floor and hurried over.

“Selwig said I had a crack on my skull?”

“You have what!” She shrieked suddenly which let me realise a cracked skull might actually be a rather serious affair.